Book Review: Sennett, Richard (2018). Building and Dwelling: Ethics for the City. Milton Keynes: Allen Lane

摘要

The title of the book says it all: the design of the built environment (building) has a strong impact on how people live in the city (dwelling), and how they relate to each other (ethics for the city). The book is the last in a trilogy exploring the place of 'Homo Faber' in society. The first volume, The Craftsman (Allen Lane, 2008) studied craftsmanship and the relationship between head and hand it involves. The second, Together (Yale, 2012) explored the art of cooperation that craftsmen need. The third one, Building and Dwelling puts Homo Faber in the city: urbanists who have developed the craft of city building. The book has previously been reviewed in academic journals for urban sociologists and urban planners, but its message goes beyond that academic space as his challenging reflections on information technology, and smart cities, are also relevant for the readership of Information Polity.